Breast cancer is a malignant tumor that begins in the breast ("Florida Department of Health," n.d.). A malignant tumor can invade surrounding tissues or spread to other areas of the body. Breast cancer is predominantly a disease among women and is the most common type of cancer among women in the United States.
Early detection by screening for breast masses involves a three pronged approach: mammography, breast self-examination, clinical breast examination. Women should have a baseline mammography screening beginning at the age forty. Women who are at a high risk for breast cancer should have a yearly exam beginning at age the age of thirty. A mammography is an X-ray that allows health care professionals to examine the breast tissue for any suspicious areas. Mammograms can often show a breast abnormality before it can be self-detected. The clinical breast exam is performed by a healthcare professional that is trained to recognize different types of abnormalities and risk factors. The clinical breast exams are conducted in-office, typically completed by a family physician or gynecologist at your annual exam. A self-breast exam is something women should do once a month at home. Breast self-exams help you become familiar with how your
This essay will attempt to discuss the theoretical principals of population screening as well as the importance of diagnostic breast care services, with the influence of a multi-disciplinary team.
Mammography is a series of X-rays that shows images of the soft tissues of the breast. Mammography is a quick, generally painless test that usually takes less than 20 minutes. “The value of mammography is early detection,” states “Harvard Medical School Health Topics A-z.” The also express, “early detection saves lives and, in many cases, also saves the woman’s breast by identifying the cancer at a very early stage when it is most easily treated and is not life threatening.” Some cancers mammography is able to detect are benign, which means, not cancerous, or malignant, cancerous. In 2006 my mother was diagnosed with Breast Cancer at the very young age of 34, younger than the suggested age to start
Breast Cancer can be found in many forms but the most noninvasive type is called Ductal Carcinoma in situ (DCIS). Being that Ductal Carcinoma is noninvasive means that it has not spread farther than the milk ducts, therefore not invading other tissue within the breasts. Intraductal carcinoma is another name for this type of cancer. This type of cancer is considered to be the earliest form of breast cancer, therefore it tends to not be staged. Being that this form is not staged makes doctors consider this to be a precancerous form. In order to detect DCIS a simple mammogram is all that is needed to detect the cancer spot.
There are various treatments used to combat breast cancer. Some are surgery, Radiotherapy, Chemotherapy, Hormone Therapy, and Biological Therapy. Which those are not all of the treatments. Surgery is to remove the malignant tumor from the breast. Radiotherapy is a treatment that uses drugs to kill cancer cells. Hormone therapy is used to lower the levels of estrogen and progesterone and block the effects of these hormones. Biological therapy uses laboratory made antibodies
Cancer often goes undiagnosed because the symptoms of it are not obvious. However, breast cancer can be typically diagnosed in the early stages if a person is aware of the symptoms. Many women are able to beat breast cancer because it is often diagnosed while it is still in the early stages. There are more treatment options available for cancers that have not spread. Below is a list of some of the most common breast cancer symptoms:
Breast cancer is the most frequent form of malignancy in women. It may occur at any time but is far more likely to show up after a
When it comes to talking about women and cancer, much of the focus is on breast cancer, with it being the second deadliest cancer for women after lung cancer. But the Foundation for Women’s Cancers estimates more than 98,000 women will be diagnosed with a gynecologic cancer this year, with more than 30,000 will die from it.
Due to overdiagnosis doctors sometimes have to reevaluate breast cancer screenings.” Some cancers may be hard to see. Doctors treated tumors when they were slow growing. They were treated
There are different signs that can indicate to an individual that they may have breast cancer. During the self- examination some signs are: “nipple discharge, inverted nipple, change in shape or size of breast, change in appearance of skin, or a lump/mass is felt during palpation” (Cuppett & Walsh, 2012, p.216-217). Then during a mammography a mass maybe seen and this can indicate the location and size of the tumor with the breast (Cuppett & Walsh, 2012). Once the mass is seen then testing can be down to tell what the tumor is consisting of which can then help with treatment options. The tumor can be made up of estrogen hormone
Some treatments are called local therapy treatment, meaning they treat the tumor without affecting the rest of the body. (American Cancer Society) Surgery is a type of local therapy, it can remove as much of the cancer as possible (breast conserving or mastectomy). Radiation therapy is also a type of local therapy, treatment with high radiation, often in addition to other treatments. Breast cancer can also be treated using drugs, which can be given by mouth or directly into the bloodstream, this is called systemic treatment. (American Cancer Society) Chemotherapy; a form of systemic treatment, treats a woman’s whole body for breast cancer, not just her breasts. Hormone therapy; another form of systemic treatment, meaning it reaches cancer cells anywhere in the body. Treatment for breast cancer varies from patient to
Diagnosis is the process of finding the cause of a health problem. This problem is detected through physical examination. Most of the tests to find out if you have breast cancer also show the stage of where your cancer is at. The following are a few tests done for diagnosis. Medical History test is a record of present symptoms, risk factors and medical events/problems a person has had in the past. This includes a personal history of breast disease or breast cancer, hormone replacement therapy, previous radiation therapy to the chest, and a family history of breast cancer, other cancers and symptoms that may relate to breast cancer. A Physical examination a doctor will do the Clinical breast examination test (CBE) to check the breast and lymph
Breast cancer does not cause any symptoms in early stage, rarely causes pain. Imaging techniques are used for the screening and diagnosis; some imaging techniques (mammography, Ductography, Ultrasonography and MRI, PET, CT) are used for breast cancer. A mammogram is an x-ray of the breast, it used for differentiates between benign and malignant lesions. Women with no signs and symptoms
There is a series of tests that are done to rule out of diagnosis breast cancer. One very common test is a